THE LAST WORD
Pico on the fast track L
AS VEGAS – The question came just moments after Jordan Burroughs pulled out his improbable, come- from-behind win over David Taylor in the U.S. Open finals. Do you ever think about these moments adding to your
legend? “I think I’ve solidified myself as one of the greatest American wrestlers of all-time,” said Burroughs, an Olympic gold medalist and two-time World champion. “But every year there’s a great young guy coming up. I’m just hoping to get a couple more titles before Aaron Pico gets up here.” Pico, as Burroughs and most wrestling observers already
know, is one of the best and brightest wrestling prospects this country has ever seen. Just 17 years old, Pico put his immense talents on full display
in a superb performance by winning a FILA Junior Nationals championship on April 19 at the Las Vegas Convention Center. Pico scored three first-period takedowns en route to dominat-
ing another very good young prospect, Penn State true fresh- man Zain Retherford, 7-0 in the FILA Junior freestyle finals at 66 kg/145.5 lbs. Retherford won a Cadet World title in 2012 before Pico won Cadet Worlds last year. This was the first time I had seen Pico wrestle in person since
he won last July’s USA Wrestling Junior Nationals in Fargo, and you can see he’s continuing to make significant gains physically, technically and tactically. Retherford never came close to scoring against Pico. Pico controlled the tie-ups on their feet in the match, while pounding away with a punishing, relentless attack. Eight years ago, during my first U.S. Open weekend as USA
Wrestling’s communications manager, I watched a 19-year-old high school senior named Henry Cejudo win a U.S. Open Senior title. Cejudo obviously was extremely gifted and talented at a
young age, but Pico may be even more advanced than Cejudo was at age 17. This kid has it all. Pico’s very advanced technically, he’s extremely physical, he has excellent mat awareness and he’s in
peak physical condition. He’s also a smart wrestler who stays in good position and doesn’t make mistakes. He’s thrived under the coaching
of Valentin Kalika, a native of Ukraine who has mentored Pico for several years now in Los Angeles. “Aaron is disciplined, hard- working and will do anything to become an Olympic champion,” Kalika said. “He’s one of the most mentally strong kids I’ve ever met as a coach.” Above all, Pico’s an intelligent, high-character young man
Craig Sesker
who is super respectful and possesses the maturity of someone far beyond his age. Pico made the bold decision to bypass his final three years of
high school wrestling and forego college wrestling to focus on his freestyle wrestling career. “Obviously, my ultimate goal is to win an Olympic gold medal,”
Pico said. “The best way for me to reach my goals is to focus on freestyle wrestling full-time. I want to face the very best com- petition I can year-round to maximize my abilities. It’s the route I feel works best for me.” Pico is a special and rare bleed of athlete who is following the
right path to reach his vast potential. He’s trained extensively overseas, including in Russia this year, and he was a training partner with the U.S. team during the World Cup in Los Angeles. Pico already has beaten a Senior wrestler who was ranked in
the top 10 in the World. He rolled past Alibeggediz Emeev 8-0 in a USA-Russia dual meet this past November in New York. Pico’s main focus right now is on winning a FILA Junior World
title this season before moving up to the Senior level next year. Don’t be surprised if a 19-year-old Pico makes a strong run in
2016 at supplanting Cejudo as the youngest U.S. athlete to make the Olympic Team in wrestling. Cejudo was 21 when he won Olympic gold in 2008. The kid is that good. Can’t wait to see how he progresses.
42 USA Wrestler
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